The Mendocino County Board of Supervisors called a special, closed-door meeting Tuesday, Nov. 20, with its attorney regarding a lawsuit by the Masonite Corporation, which holds land north of Ukiah.

The Masonite Corporation is suing the county of Mendocino, the Board of Supervisors and Granite Construction Company over a 65-acre terrace mining operation on Kunzler Ranch Road, neighboring the former local door manufacturer's property north of Ukiah, according to court documents.

Masonite claims the county improperly approved the environmental impact report for Granite's proposed mining operation and is appealing the decision.

"The Kunzler Mine is a 65-acre terrace mine to extract sand and gravel from an active' floodplain at the confluence of the Russian River and Ackerman Creek, a highly sensitive resource area that floods regularly," according to Masonite's opening brief, dated Aug. 1, 2012. "The river and creek provide spawning and migratory habitat for salmonid species threatened with extinction."

The brief goes on to state, "Masonite's property, located immediately adjacent to and downstream of the proposed mine, will be exposed to the mine's substantial and adverse visual, noise, dust, traffic, water quality and flooding impacts throughout its expected twenty years of operation."

Masonite claims the county didn't comply with California Environmental Quality Act requirements and failed to adequately evaluate the impacts the mining operation would have and to notify the public of the impacts, and is asking the appellate court to set aside the county's approval of the site.

Masonite claims the proposed mining operation would threaten Russian River water quality and would eliminate 45 acres of "prime farmland."

In its response, Granite notes the land is zoned for industrial use, and proposed mitigations for the impacts on water quality and for other concerns have been upheld.

The Board of Supervisors will meet at 11:30 a.m. Nov. 20 with its attorney to discuss the case, which is the only item on the agenda for the special meeting on Tuesday.

Tiffany Revelle can be reached at udjtr@pacific.net, on Twitter @TiffanyRevelle or at 468-3523.